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ABC Studios
(as Touchstone Films) | location_city = Burbank, California | location_country = U.S. | key_people = | industry = Television production | homepage = }} Touchstone Television Productions, LLC (dba ABC Studios), is the television production unit of ABC Entertainment Group, part of Disney–ABC Television Group (both ultimately owned by The Walt Disney Company). ABC Studios was established as the Touchstone Television banner in 1984 and given its current name on May 21, 2007. History Touchstone Television The Touchstone Films banner was used for TV by then-new Disney CEO Michael Eisner in the 1984–85 television season with the short lived western, Wildside. Touchstone was a banner of Disney Pictures which included at the time television production. In the next season, Disney's TV production unit produced a hit in The Golden Girls using the Touchstone Films brand. On April 18, 1989, Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television were grouped together under Garth Ancier, president of network television for Walt Disney Studios. With difficulty selling in the off-network syndicated market, Disney television executives decided in late September 1990 that Hull High, then on NBC, or a potential NBC mid-season replacement, Disney Action-Adventure Hour, would be its last hour long drama. High's pilot did cost the company $4.5 million which was considered very costly. In 1992, Touchstone moved into producing longer forms for TV, focusing on more adult fare with its first telefilm for CBS about Edna Buchanan, a Miami Herald crime reporter who would win a Pulitzer Prize. On August 24, 1994, with Jeffrey Katzenberg's resignation, Richard Frank became head of Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications, a new group taking Touchstone and other TV units out of the Disney studios. In April 1996, due to ongoing post-Disney-CC/ABC merger realignment and the retirement of its president, Walt Disney Television and Telecommunications' divisions were reassigned to other groups, with Touchstone Television transferred to The Walt Disney Studios. By March 1998, David Neuman assumed the presidency of Touchstone TV. In March 1998, Touchstone was placed under Buena Vista Television Productions, a newly formed group under chairman Lloyd Braun, along with Walt Disney Network Television. In 2000, Touchstone created two departments for comedy in September, and a department for drama in December. While two of their pilots were in consideration to be picked up by ABC in April 2003, Tollin/Robbins Productions agreed to a two-year development deal with Touchstone Television, which included a two-year option, shares in profits and outside sales. ABC Television Studio In February 2007, Touchstone Television was renamed ABC Television Studios as part of Disney's push to drop secondary brands like Buena Vista for Disney, ABC and ESPN. In June 2009, ABC Entertainment announced a new organization, effective immediately as ABC Entertainment Group, consolidating back office functions like business affairs, distribution and scheduling of ABC Studios and ABC Entertainment while retaining separate creative units. In January 2010, Disney–ABC Television Group announced it was cutting 5% of its workforce. In October 2012, ABC Studios formed its Signature division to sell to outside networks. List of programs produced by Touchstone Television/ABC Studios Currently produced Future productions Former productions ABC Signature | logo = | logo_caption = | image = | image_caption = | trading_name = ABC Signature | native_name = | native_name_lang = | romanized = | type = Subsidiary | traded_as = | industry = Filmed entertainment | genre = | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | foundation = | founder = | defunct = | location_city = | location_country = | locations = | area_served = | key_people = Tracy Underwood | products = | production = Cable show programs | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | num_employees = | parent = ABC Studios (ABC Entertainment Group) | divisions = | subsid = | footnotes = | intl = | bodystyle = }} ABC Signature Studios (alternatively Signature, or ABC Signature) is a dedicated division of ABC Studios spearheading development and production in premium and basic cable as well as streaming platforms. The artist driven arm provides a year-round destination for development and production across the cable landscape. Most recently, their new critically acclaimed comedy "SMILF" created by Frankie Shaw who also stars and directs premiered on Showtime. Signature is currently in production on the half-hour “black-ish” spin-off, “grown-ish,” from creator/EP Kenya Barris starring Yara Shahidi which premieres on Freeform early next year. Additionally, Marvel Television and ABC Signature Studios are in post production on two new series: “Marvel’s Runaways” for Hulu premiering this month and "Marvel’s Cloak and Dagger” premiering on Freeform in 2018. Signature's previous series include “Guerrilla,” “Dead of Summer,” “Blood & Oil,” “Benched,” and the Emmy-nominated HBO film “Confirmation,” starring Kerry Washington and Wendell Pierce. Signature history ABC Studios was moving to sell to outside networks. As the studios had placed the former ABC comedy Cougar Town at TBS, and Devious Maids at Lifetime, Signature was started in October 2012 to continue the trend. Signature developed Mistresses, which was included in ABC's summer schedule and renewed for another season. Signature was incorporated on . In October 2013, the division placed its first outside project, Benched, for USA with a pilot order which finished shooting by December. Other projects were in the works with A&E, WE tv and TBS. In the works with ABC, Signature has a possible straight-to-series Stephen King story adaptation, Grand Central based on The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates. Corporate sibling Freeform picked up Rated P For Parenthood for development as its first program from Signature in June 2014. In April 2015, Signature and ABC Studios agreed to a two-year, first-look with Black Label Media, started by Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill three years ago as a financing and producing company. McG's Wonderland Sound & Vision signed a two-year overall production agreement with Signature, Freeform and ABC Studios in October 2015. This follows two productions from McG on Freeform/ABC Family. In April 2016, Freeform greenlit Marvel's Cloak & Dagger with a straight-to-series order as Marvel Television's first co-production with Signature. Another co-production with Marvel Television was greenlit in August 2016, with Marvel's Runaways confirmed for the Hulu streaming service. Signature productions Current Future Former References External links * * Category:Disney Media Networks Category:Television production companies of the United States Category:Disney production studios Category:American Broadcasting Company Category:Entertainment companies based in California Category:Companies based in Burbank, California Category:Entertainment companies established in 1985 Category:1985 establishments in California Category:Peabody Award winners